1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a wheelchair, and more particularly to a foldable wheelchair.
2. Description of the Related Art
Foldable wheelchairs are well known in the art. Generally, foldable wheelchairs are folded along a longitudinal axis of the wheelchair, via a scissors-type hinge between the wheels, so as to bring together the sides of the chair (i.e., the wheels are moved inward toward the longitudinal axis). The wheels may or may not be removable. With a canvas seat and a canvas back, such chairs may be readily and quickly folded and unfolded, though the seat material is often not particularly comfortable.
However, such foldable wheelchairs suffer from the disadvantage of bulk and weight. Folding such a chair reduces the width of the chair transverse to its longitudinal axis, but the dimensions of the height and depth of the chair remain the same. Accordingly, such a chair, even in the folded configuration, still has considerable bulk with regard to the overall volume that the chair might occupy in a place of storage (e.g., the trunk of a vehicle). Such bulk makes it difficult for a user to easily disassemble the chair and store it in a compact storage space, such as the trunk of a car, and reduces the storage space available to store other articles. Additionally, such foldable wheelchairs can be very heavy, making them more difficult for a user to lift.
Accordingly, there is a need for a compact foldable wheelchair that can be easily folded and unfolded by a user, is lightweight and has high structural strength.